Follow the Signs
by voldysnose
Summary: It's winter break, and Lily Evans is stuck with only Marlene, Sirius, and James to keep her company. Not that she minds, of course. Jily, over the second half of their seventh year, and a bit of Blackinnon as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Of course, I am not the wonderful J. K. Rowling, etc etc. Enjoy!**

**P.S. If all goes according to plan, there will be at least a new chapter every week.**

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><p>Christmas is approaching. I can tell by the way the air smells of pine and the way everyone is always smiling and, of course, the telltale snow on the ground. I grin at Alice, who's sitting next to me. It's going to be a white Christmas, as far as I can tell. I hop out of the armchair by the fire and out of my warm cozy cocoon to peer over her shoulder at what she's reading.<p>

"A History of Magic," I say aloud. "Alice, you've literally read that ten times."

"So?" She looks up at me. "Anyway, I can't really concentrate on it right now."

"Why? Oh." She's staring at Frank. Of course. I let out a little laugh and ruffle her hair. "Good luck! I need to pop down to Professor Slughorn's office to ask him something. Wanna come with?"

"I'm okay," she says dreamily. "See you at dinner!"

"Hogsmeade tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yup!" She confirms, turning back to her book. I head out of the common room and down the steps to the dungeons. My black flats clicking on the stone floor, echoing in the silence, I arrive at Slughorn's classroom. The light is set dimly, and I peek around the edge of the door, hoping he'll be inside.

A figure is leaning on his desk, but he's not there. Wondering who it could be, I walk inside. "Lumos," I whisper.

"Merlin, Evans, you scared me!" James Potter straightens up as soon as he catches a glimpse of my face. "Er, Slughorn's just getting some extra boomslang skin from the cupboard. He'll be back soon," he explains hastily.

"Okay," I shrug, heading into the room. "I just had to ask him a question about the potion we did in class today."

"Amortentia?" He smirks.

"Shut up," I mutter. Potter catches my look and immediately backs off.

"Sorry," he says, slightly ashamed. We stand there in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Proffessor Slughorn bumbles in.

"Sorry, m' dear boy, sorry," he says, fumbling with a parcel in his hands. "Ah, Lily!"

"Hi," I greet him. "I just had a question about the lesson, but if now is not a good time I can come back…"

"No, no," he insists. "Ask away!"

"I was just confused about the way we made Amortentia," I reply. "Why would we stir it six times clockwise? Wouldn't seven times counterclockwise make more sense?"

He shakes his head. "That's a very good question, Lily, and I'm afraid I don't have the time to answer it right now. Why don't you go to the library and pick out a book? I'm sure that would help you." Slughorn turns his back on me to attend to Potter. I sigh, exasperated. Okay. I guess I would have to take a trip to the library after all.

I head out of the classroom and back to the Gryffindor common room. I don't feel like dealing with Madam Pince right now. On my way, I catch Marlene disappearing around a corner.

"Mar!" I call to her back.

"What?" she stops and turns around. "I'm _starving. _Seriously, they need to move dinner an hour earlier."

"A whole hour?" I ask wryly.

She nods vehemently. "Maybe an hour and a half." We trek back to the dormitories, gather up Alice, and head back downstairs for dinner.

As I shove mashed potatoes and green beans into my mouth, a thought catches my attention.

"Today was the last day of lessons!" I say cheerfully, around my food.

"Ew, Lils, that's disgusting." Marlene makes a face and puts her hand over my mouth. I smile guiltily, swallow, and repeat myself.

"Today was the last day of lessons before the holidays!"

"Yeah, that's what I've been saying all day!" She nudges my shoulder. "Hello, earth to Lily Evans! Ooh, dessert!"

But I haven't even finished my dinner," I whine, taking another massive bite. We talk aimlessly throughout dinner, and with Dumbledore's adieus, head back to the common room.

"I've seriously walked the school a million times today," Alice complains as we walk.

"Me too," I agree, saying the password to the Fat Lady and climbing through the hole. I pick up my books that have been strewn across the floor, shovel them into my bag, and am about to settle down on the couch when I notice the Marauders saunter inside. They laugh loudly, and Sirius winks at Marlene. James Potter takes a seat across from me, smiling foolishly. Rolling my eyes, I grumble to my friends of a nonexistent headache, claiming that I need to go to sleep early.

"Feel better Lils," Marly tells me. "Hogsmeade tomorrow! Ciao."

Lugging my books up the stairs and into bed, I draw the curtains around me and read until my eyes refuse to stay open a second longer, and then I curl up and fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I snort, inhaling butterbeer up my nose. "Oh no," I wheeze, laughing as the drink dribbles out of my nostrils. Marlene rubs my head affectionately, and gets up to find yet more napkins. We are in the Three Broomsticks after a delightful morning wandering around Hogsmeade, and I am laughing uncontrollably.

Madame Rosemerta peers at our table as Marly asks for yet more napkins. "Is everything alright there, sweetie?" She questions.

"Oh, yeah, we're okay," Marlene replies with a smile, taking the napkins from Madame Rosmerta's hand. "Thank you!"

"Maybe we should go outside," Alice suggests. We seem to be making a bit of a mess, and all of the other costumers in The Three Broomsticks are looking at us strangely.

"Oh, it's cold," Marly whines, "and look, it's snowing."

"Get over yourself." I nudge her playfully in the arm, and pull Alice and Marlene out of the pub, butterbeers in hand.

The bell tinkles as Alice pushes open the door, and we brush by the Marauders on our way out. James Potter winks at me, and I'm tempted to spill my butterbeer all over his coat and wipe that smirk off his face, but Marlene puts a hand on my shoulder, restraining me, and I settle for making an obscene gesture at him. He's followed by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black, who leans in to give Marlene a kiss as they pass each other.

I roll my eyes and make cooing noises as she rushes to join us on a bench just outside of the bar. She blushes and whacks me over the head.

"Lily, shut up," she says with a smile. Alice hands her the butterbeer, and we sit in silence for a little while, watching people bustle by and the snow fall and collect on the cobbled streets.

After we finish our drinks, we wander around Hogsmeade for a little while, until the snow becomes so thick we can't see our hands in front of our faces.

"Let's head back to Hogwarts," a breathless Alice says. Our cheeks and noses are rosy red, and my fingers are completely numb. Fingerless gloves were not a good idea.

"Oh my god yes," Marly agrees. We round the street corner and hurry back to the school, eagerly awaiting hot chocolate and warm, cozy blankets.

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><p>Half an hour later, I'm curled up in a fluffy armchair in the Gryffindor common room.<p>

"Why did we get _so _much homework over Christmas break?" Alice groans as she takes out parchment and a quill from her bag. "And don't get me started about all the Transfiguration work McGonagall is making us do."

Marlene is spread out on the floor, chewing on a pumpkin pasty she nicked from the kitchens. "Don't worry about it," she says, rolling onto her back. We still have two more weeks to do the lot. It's not even Christmas yet."

"Marlene, you bad girl," I chide her. "Such a slacker."

"Who are you calling a slacker, Evans?" She glares at me, and chucks her pastry at my head. I scoot back, trying to duck away from the flying pie, but the armchair falls backwards, smack into the table where the Marauders are sitting.

The pumpkin pasty ends up flying way above my head anyways, and hits the opposite wall.

"Sorry," I squeak as I climb out of the chair and stand it on its legs again.

"Marlene!" Sirius calls to her across the room. "Fuck you!"

"Oh, go to hell." She brushes him off and takes a swig of the firewhiskey she brought back from Hogsmeade.

Potter is staring at me as I try in vain to arrange the pieces of parchment that went flying when my chair fell into a semi-neat pile.

"What do you want?" I snarl at him.

"Nothing, Jesus," he retorts.

I glare at him before returning to my chair. Sirius and Marlene leave the common room, probably in search of a broom cupboard where they can shag.

I exchange a look with Alice, and she gives me a wry smile.

Remus looks over at us and smirks at the doorway. He passes Potter something wrapped in plastic, who doubles over laughing before running out of the hole to pursue the couple.

"Yo, Remus, what time is it?" I ask, looking up as I make a few marks on Alice's essay.

"Dunno," he replies. "Almost time for dinner, I think."

I glance outside. It's still snowing, and a bunch of the fourth and fifth years are having a huge snowball fight. Some sixth years are there too, like Dorcas and Mary, but I decide not to join them.

"Well, Lily, I'm off," Remus walks over and ruffles my hair before going off to find the rest of the Marauders.

"See you," I say distractedly. Marlene's firewhiskey is sitting neglected next to Alice, and I pull it over to me and take a sip.

"God, that's terrible," I make a face and spit it back into the bottle. "Dunno how Marly can stand this."

Alice smiles at me, but is looking over my head at Frank, who has just entered the common room. He's laughing about something with Mary, and my friend sighs dreamily at him.

"Snap out of it," I say, waving my hand in front of her face. "Alice!"

"Sorry," she blushes. "Let's head down to the Great Hall."

I decide to change for dinner, so after I put my bag on my bed, I take off my cloak, still soaked from the snow, and put on a pair of black stockings, a red Christmas sweater, and a short black skirt.

Alice and I pass Marlene on the way down. Her lips are flushed and her hair is a rat's nest, but she still joins us as we walk to the Great Hall.

"Are you seriously going down looking like _that_?" I ask skeptically.

"Duh," she replies, and that's the end of our conversation.

We step into the hall, Marlene attracting a lot of judgmental looks as we make our way over to the Gryffindor table. Today, my usual seat is taken by some fifth years, so I'm forced to sit next to Potter. I expect him to smirk at me and say something rude, but instead he just raises his eyebrows and continues talking to Sirius about Quidditch. Dorcas bumbles into the great hall just as dinner is served, and frowns as she notices where I'm sitting. She persuades one of the fifth years to get up, and takes a seat beside me.

"Girl, you okay?" she asks.

"Fine, why?" I say. "Potter isn't doing anything…"

He probably hears us talking, but if he does, he doesn't say a word. Dorcas begins to heap her plate with sausages, and either doesn't want to, or is incapable of, saying another word.

"Potatoes, Evans?" Potter says politely, snapping me out of my reverie.

"What? Oh, no thanks," I reply hastily, and then excuse myself before even dessert rolls around. Marlene and Sirius are having a heated conversation across the table, but as soon as I get up, Marly follows me.

"Lily!" She calls as I head towards the library. "What is up with you?"

"Dorcas asked the same thing," I tell her. "I swear, I'm fine."

"Nah, I know you better than that," she says. "Tell me what's up." It's more of a demand then an offer, and I have no choice but to answer.

"Potter was being really polite during dinner," I say. "It was just unlike him, and threw off my vibe. I'll be fine." Actually, James Potter has been polite to me throughout all of the seventh year, but it is only just catching up to me. I wonder what brought about the change, and if it'll be permanent. I must say, I don't mind the change.

"That's my girl." Marlene slaps me on the back. "See you at the common room later." She heads back to the great hall, and, deciding that I don't feel like going to the library, I head up to the dormitories.

"Password, dear?" The fat lady asks me as I stand outside the common room.

"Crochet," I reply.

"Sorry love, password's changed already," she says.

"Seriously?" I groan, frustrated. "You know me, why can't you just let me in?"

She shakes her head sadly at me, and I sink to the floor, in wait for someone in my house to let me in. Just my luck, the next person to come around is Potter.

"Stuck outside, Evans?" He smirks. Now _this_ is the James Potter I know.

"Clearly," I say, but am distracted by the way his shirt is unbuttoned at the top and is riding above his waist so I can see his skin. _Snap out of it, Lily,_ I tell myself. _This is James Fucking Potter. Stop._

"Jelly legs," Potter tells the fat lady, and the portrait swings open. "Ladies first," he grins.

"No thank you," I snap. "I'm not going first just so you can take a look up my skirt." He actually looks offended at this, and I'm afraid I've said the wrong thing, but he just shrugs and climbs through.

"Your loss. I'm sure you're just eager for a view of my fine arse."

I snort, hiding how relieved I am that he's returned to his normal, douchebag self. "Dream on, Potter." He enters the common room, and I follow him, sitting by the fire and letting my bag hit the floor with a heavy thud.

Marlene charges into the common room, disrupting the peaceful silence, and slaps down the piece of plastic on the table in front of Potter.

"A condom, Potter? Really?" He smiles widely, ruffling his hair.

"I must say, I'm surprised you didn't use it just now," he grins. "Unprotected sex…hmmm…" Her face flushes as she comes to sit next to me.

"I see why you don't hang around with the Marauders," she mutters in my ear. "They're complete dicks."

"You didn't think so when you were snogging Sirius back there," I say pointedly.

"Shut up." Marly shoves my shoulder. "I'm trying to make a point here. Want to come outside with me?"

I glance out the window. It has started snowing again, and fat white flakes are fluttering gently to the ground.

"No way," I reply. "It's freezing. Although I wouldn't object to some pumpkin juice right now." I pull my Transfiguration essay out of my back and smooth it out on the floor. It threatens to roll up as I take out a quill and some ink, and I'm forced to put a book on each corner of the parchment.

"How many inches is that?" Marlene asks me, eyeing the essay.

"Just ten, I think," I reply.

"That's what she said." she grins wickedly, and I roll my eyes.

"You're so annoying."

"I try," Marly says smugly. "Come on; let's go do something more interesting than this." She takes my hand and pulls me off the floor. "Wait, there's Sirius, I've gotta go. Bye!"

"Better take that condom you returned to Potter!" I yell at her as she climbs out of the passage, and am rewarded with the middle finger.

"Rejected, Evans," Potter smirks at me. "Are you working on the essay for McGonagall too?" I nod. He awkwardly shoves his hands into his pockets. "D'you maybe want to come down to the library with me?"

I look at him in alarm.

"Er, you don't have to if you don't want to." He rubs the back of his head.

"Sure, I'll come," I decide on a whim. "I've got nothing better to do." I return the parchment and books to my bag, say goodbye to Alice, who is practically drooling over Frank, and follow Potter out of the common room.

"So, Potter," I say, making conversation as we start down the hall. "Marly and Sirius seem to be hitting it off. Does Sirius, you know, really like her?"

"Are you kidding?" he scoffs. "She's all he talks about. Sometimes."

"Sure." I shrug. "I just…don't want her to get hurt."

"You're such a nice friend," he says uncomfortably.

"Um, I guess," I reply, just as awkwardly, if not more so. We enter the library, choosing a table in the back, near the fireplace. I sit down heavily, making the table shake and earning a piercing stare from Madam Pince.

"Smooth." James smirks, and I blush. I immediately curse myself for blushing. _You are Lily Evans_, I reprimand myself. _You do not _blush_ in front of James Potter._

He doesn't seem to notice, though, and is busily perusing his essay.

"I still don't understand what we're supposed to write about," he says, biting his lip. Sliding the piece of parchment towards me, I take a look at what he's written so far.

"We're learning about nonverbal spells right now," I say, frowning. "What is yours even about?"

"I get that it's not very coherent, but it's not too bad, right?"

"Are you kidding?" I shake my head, reading a line aloud. "'Nonverbal spells is where you don't even say it.' Potter, were you drunk when you wrote this?"

He gives a nonchalant shrug. "I don't remember."

"So yes." Potter nods sheepishly. "Rewrite it," I advise him.

"But I wrote the whole thing!" He moans. I cross my arms until Potter gives in and crumples his essay into a ball, throwing it into the fireplace. He gives me a wry grin, but I don't smile back. His face falls, but instead of saying something, I get up to find a book to help with the paper.

Still confused about Potter, I return a few minutes later, only to find him slumped over his work, one hand in his hair, the other scribbling frantically onto the parchment.

After poring through the pages of the book and absorbing as much information as humanly possible, I start on the essay. I can feel his eyes on me as I work, but I'm too distracted to say anything. He blinks, looking back down at his paper. I can tell he's distracted, as he's staring at it without really seeing it. Sighing, I blot the quill and start on a new paragraph, Potter lets out a frustrated cry, slamming his fists onto the table.

"Jesus, what's the matter?" I ask, looking up and catching his eye.

"Nothing," he mutters, rolling up his parchment and shoving it into his bag. "I've gotta run. See you."

"Wow, okay," I call after him. "Way to leave me here." Potter doesn't reply, his shoulders only hunch farther forward and he shoves his hands into his pockets. I groan, knowing that I'll be unable to get any more work done as well, and follow him out of the library and back to the common room.

I catch a glimpse of Potter's black hair as he turns a corner. I break into a run in a vain attempt to catch up to him.

"Potter, wait!" I yell, reaching him and grabbing his arm. He stares at me in alarm.

"What, _Evans_?" He accuses, and then sighs. "Look, sorry for being a prick back there, but it's Christmas and I don't feel like doing homework."

"Yeah, well you didn't have to _leave_ me there," I retort.

"Sorry," he repeats.

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

"Fine, then what will?" Potter is getting more aggravated by the second, and I can tell that it wasn't just the fact that it's the holidays. His voice rapidly rises. "Do you want me to buy you a drink? Write your essay? Put a Christmas tree in your dorm? Make your bed? Spoon-feed you breakfast? Take you to Hogsmeade? Give you all my presents? Give _Severus _all my presents too? Lily Evans, I am not going to follow you around like a _puppy_ anymore. I don't want to be that guy; I will never be that guy. If you don't like it, I don't care. So yes, sorry does cut it. Sorry fucking cuts it, okay? You don't know who I am or what my motives are. Leave me alone."

I stop, dead in my tracks. I know my jaw is hanging open like a fish and tears are threatening to spill out of my eyes and down my cheeks. This time, it's me who is apologizing.

"Sorry." I turn and run down the hall, up to the common room and collapse into bed. It's still relatively early, and no one else is back yet. They're all downstairs, hoping that the night will never fall and the day will never be over. I'm hoping the same thing, yet for an entirely different reason.

In too few hours, I will have to see James Potter again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi all, something came to my attention the other day. For the purpose of this fic, Lily and James don't have separate head boy/head girl dormitories. I thought it would be easier without them, and I feel like it fits more smoothly with the story_._ **

**Also: if any of you think I should change the rating to M, please let me know! xx Ash**

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><p>"Lily, wake up." Marlene shakes me awake roughly. I roll over, nearly falling out of the bed.<p>

"Go away," I mutter, drawing the covers over my head. "We don't even have class today."

"I'm hungry and I don't want to have to sit alone," she whines.

"You have Alice and Sirius."

"I don't want to have to sit alone," she repeats. "Plus, Alice went home for Christmas. Lily, get up. James told me what happened between you two, and frankly, I don't care. Get up."

I shrink down into the bed, ignoring Marly.

She grabs my arm, reminding me of what I did to James the other day. Potter. I don't know who he is to me anymore.

"Girl, you fucked up," she tells me brusquely. "We all do. He's gonna ignore you, so just ignore him back. Seriously, if you don't initiate an unwanted conversation with him, he's won't either. So get up. My stomach is literally eating itself."

"Figuratively," I say weakly, sliding a foot outside of the duvet. Then I remember something that makes me jump out and hug Marlene.

"Today's Christmas Eve!" She laughs at my expression, not unkindly.

"Cute." She smirks. "Hurry up and get dressed, Lils." I wash my face, throw on my robes and slide on a pair of shoes before following her out of the dormitory and to the Great Hall.

The castle is _empty,_ and there are only a few people who are staying at Hogwarts for Christmas break. Just my luck, one of them happens to be the person I'm trying to avoid. I'm not sure why Potter is staying, since Remus and Peter left school late yesterday night to return home. Perhaps it's something to do with his parents.

My parents don't have the money to bring me home for the holidays, and Marly wanted to stay to keep me company. Once I remind myself of this, I immediately forgive her for everything she's done to piss me off these last few days.

"Pass the eggs?" I ask Sirius, reaching across the table. He hands the plate to me before resuming his conversation with my best friend. Potter and I awkwardly sit among the students from the other houses. I shovel down my breakfast and tap Marlene on the shoulder.

"Hogsmeade?" I ask. "McGonagall is letting everyone go, even though it's not actually on the schedule, since there's really nothing else to do today." She jumps up.

"Perfect. I'm dying to go to Honeydukes; they didn't have _any_ Cockroach Clusters when we were there a few days ago, and they're my favorite."

I stare at her in alarm. "You're joking."

Marly hits my arm. "Lils, of course I am. I wouldn't object to some licorice wands though." We excuse ourselves from the table, nodding to the headmaster as we leave.

"Have fun at Hogsmeade!" Dumbledore smiles as we exit the Great Hall and head to the common room. Once we get inside, Marlene turns to me.

"See, that wasn't too bad," she says pointedly.

"Just a little awkward," I agree, heading up to the dormitory. I change into a comfy knit sweater and jeans before putting on my cloak and scarf.

Marly meets me in the common room, a bottle of firewhiskey in her hand.

"Nope." I grab the drink from her and before she can react, pour it out the window.

"Lily, you better buy me another bottle," she warns me.

"We just had breakfast," I point out. "You can't go around getting drunk at nine am."

"Watch me," Marlene argues.

"Seriously, Mar," I sigh, tying up my long red hair. "Can we just go?"

"Sure," she nods, and we step out of the common room and walk down to Hogsmeade.

The sun is bright but the air is cold as we march on the brittle ground and down the street. The others are a little ways behind us, Professor Flitwick bringing up the rear. I guess that Professor McGonagall asked him to go instead of her, since I rarely see him outside of the school, or his classroom, to be honest. Marlene is a few steps ahead of me, so I bend down and gather some of the freshly fallen snow in my mittens and toss a snowball at her back.

She whirls around, a somewhat evil grin on her face.

"Ooh, Lily, you didn't!" Marly cackles, brushing the snow off her back and leaning over to form a snowball. I shriek and duck as it flies narrowly over my head, and toss another one back at her. It hits her right in the place where her scarf doesn't cover, and she screams as the cold snow slides beneath her cloak.

"LILY!" She yells, running at me and pushing me over. My head hits the ground and I can feel my back becoming soaked. We tussle for a little while, until we are both freezing and covered with wet snow. Soon, Marly and I are rolling around in uncontrollable laughter and attracting strange glances from the other students, which only make us laugh harder.

Tears are trickling out of my eyes, both a combination of the bitter wind and a result of my laughter. I stand up and brush the snow off my cloak, helping Marlene up after.

"Truce?" I grin, holding out my hand. She shakes her head, rubbing her hands together somewhat evilly.

"No promises!"

After a short walk, we enter Hogsmeade. It has been absolutely lathered with Christmas decorations, and two huge trees guard the entrance. A small star is floating above them, and each tree is sporting a lovely array of ornaments. A wreath hangs on what seems like each and every door of the shops that we pass, neatly presented with a red bow.

Marlene sighs happily beside me, inhaling the cold, fresh air and the wonderful scent of pine.

"It smells like Christmas," she says contentedly. I lean my head on her shoulder, nodding in agreement. Our boots crunch on the freshly fallen snow, the only sound amidst the swirling clouds of snowflakes and the whistle of the wind and the bells tinkling as doors squeak open and closed.

Ears and noses red from the cold, we take shelter inside The Three Broomsticks, claiming a table near the window, so we can peek out at the snowstorm around us.

"It's been snowing for nearly three days," I say, making idle conversation.

"I fucking love it!" Marly exclaims, rising from her chair. "Do you want a butterbeer?"

"Yes please," I tell her. "Also a chocolate chip cookie, if you wouldn't mind."

"It's on me." She winks before hurrying off to the bar. As I sit at our table, examining the salt and pepper shakers, a hand clasps my shoulder. I jump, thinking it's James, and turn around sharply.

"Woah, Lily, you're on edge today," Sirius laughs. "Mind if I join you and Mar?"

I shrug. "Where's Potter?"

"Probably at Zonko's," he replies, scooting back the chair and kicking his feet onto the table. I make a face.

"Seriously, you need to get a new pair of boots," I remark, gesturing at his shoes. They are old and black and the soles are nearly falling off, yet are a permanent staple in his outfit.

"Nah." He grins. "So. You and Prongs, huh?"

"What? Are you kidding me? He was a complete arsehole to me in the library yesterday. I'm never speaking to him again." I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at Sirius.

"Nah," he says again. "To be honest, you were awful to him in the first place. He has every right to be angry at you."

"I know." I sigh. "Whatever. Just forget it."

"No, Lily, I'm not kidding," Sirius persists. "He still loves you, you know." I blush furiously, cursing the fact that I have to be a ginger. Luckily, Marlene saves me as she arrives with two bottles of butterbeer and a cookie.

"No firewhiskey?" Sirius raises an eyebrow.

"I thought about what Lily said to me, and it's almost Christmas Eve, and you know, getting pissed at nine o'clock in the morning is not what I want to be doing right now."

"Mar, I'm proud of you," I say jokingly, planting a kiss on her cheek. We finish our butterbeers before heading out in the snow again.

"Shit, there's Potter. Gotta go," Sirius smirks at the approaching figure in the distance before kissing Marlene deeply and sauntering off.

Marlene is about to take a sip of her butterbeer, when suddenly her eyes widen.

"Jesus, Lily, I'm a terrible friend. I still haven't gotten you anything for Christmas!"

I let out a burst of laughter. "From your expression, I would have thought someone had died! Mar, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"No, but I need to get you something!" She says desperately. "Go into the Hog's Head or something while I get your present."

"Fine. Just don't get me chocolate frogs, okay? They always run away from me."

"You're pathetic," she snorts, but it's a friendly snort and I can tell she's kidding. "Get out of my sight."

I blow her a kiss as I head into the bar, deciding to buy another cookie.


	4. Chapter 4

**warning: minor sexual harassment  
><strong>

**I'm really very sorry if some of you can't/don't want to read this. However, it is only the first several paragraphs of the chapter. Thanks for understanding :)  
><strong>

**xx Ash**

**P.S. I absolutely _loved_ Marlene in the last chapter! Of course, I've taken some liberty with her character (sorry, J. K. Rowling) but I feel like she would be an amazing friend and very supportive of Lily.**

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><p>The Hog's Head is crowded for some peculiar reason. Perhaps it's because Christmas is tomorrow, or because it's snowing outside and the Hog's Head seems the only respectable place to go, or for another, random reason. Whatever it is, I can't seem to find a place at the bar to quietly sit and order my cookie. I silently pray that Marlene will be done shopping soon, but knowing her, it'll be a while.<p>

I awkwardly position myself on the edge of the bar, waiting for a time when the bartender isn't busy so I can call him over. Someone vacates a seat, and I hurry to claim it, but I get there at the same time as another man. His hair is greasy and his teeth are crooked in yellow, and when he opens his mouth, foul breath is blown into my face.

"Sweetheart, I'm sittin' here," he says with a voice that sounds like he's been eating shards of glass. "But you can sit on ma lap if yew want." He winks, and I back away.

"No thanks," I reply firmly.

"Darlin, don't be shy," he says, beckoning with an index finger. My head is pounding, and I rub my temples. Is this actually happening? He is leering at me now, and my heart is racing and I feel sweat collecting on my forehead.

Taking a breath and summoning all the courage I can muster, I tell him, "fuck off." I glare at him, reaching into my cloak to draw my wand. It's not there. I rummage around frantically, searching for it. It's still not there. Patting my back pockets, I retreat away from him, only to bump into someone else.

A taller, even more menacing man leers at me. "You okay, cupcake?" He grins. I turn around to flee, but he catches my arm, leaning closer to me. I can feel his breath on my cheek, his dirty nails digging into my skin.

I wrench my arm out of his grasp, drawing back a fist to punch him in the face, but someone else gets there first.

"STAY OFF HER!" James Potter yells, casting a blow at his jaw. The man stumbles backwards before retaliating, punching him in return. The other one joins in, beating him to a pulp. In desperation, I grab James's wand from the pocket of his cloak and hex them both. They fall to the ground, stunned.

"We are so screwed," I whisper to him as the entire bar goes silent.

"So screwed," he agrees. We stand there awkwardly for a little while, under the gaze of everyone in the Hog's Head. Suddenly the door bursts open with a bang.

Professor Flitwick stands in the doorway, glaring at everyone inside but us.

"James Potter and Lily Evans, come with me immediately!" he squeaks. We are pushed out of the door out into the snow.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, the headmaster will deal with you two," Flitwick tells us. "I'm sorry, my dear children, but I'm sure he'll understand." James shrugs.

"Okay," he says. "I wanted to go to Honeydukes, but I guess that's not happening now." I snort, and he gives me a sharp look.

"Sorry," I say guiltily. "It's just…we're going to be given detention, and this is what you're worrying about?"

His face clears and the corners of his mouth quirk up into a smile. We walk back to Hogwarts in silence. I'm thinking about the looming threat of detention and what Professor Dumbledore would say when James turns to me.

"So, er," he clears his throat. "I'm really sorry about what happened in the library. I just—" I raise a hand to cut him off.

"Forget it. I understand."

"No, but I want to explain this to you," he persists. "I just was frustrated with...everything. Especially since I just had come across Snape, which did not help my mood. Sorry if I came across as rude. I don't—" I cut him off again before he can say something else.

The part about Severus bothers me, but I omit it from my reply. "I said, _forget it_. Seriously. It's fine, you don't have to apologize. Although, I'm not complaining about the fact that you've stopped asking me out every second." I attach a little grin to the end, and Potter opens his mouth to say something more, but we have arrived at the castle and Professor Flitwick is ushering us inside.

We reach the headmaster's office, guarded by two stone gargoyles, when I voice something else that has been pressing my mind.

"Why were you in the Hog's Head?" I ask Potter. His ears immediately turn a brilliant hue of red, and he ducks his head beneath his collar. I cringe.

"Oh no. Don't tell me you followed me in."

"I had just been in the bar, and thought you might need…rescuing?" He says timidly.

"Thanks?" I reply. "Actually, I did forget my wand. Not a good move on my part."

"Okay, yeah, I was wondering why you hadn't just hexed those men," Potter says, frowning.

I nod silently, brushing my red hair out of my face. I don't miss the way his eyes follow my hand as it moves or the way he examines my face. _He still loves you, you know._ Sirius's words echo in my head.

Professor Dumbledore is waiting for us at the top of the stairs. "That will be all, thank you, Filius," he smiles warmly. He leads James and me into his office and gestures for us to seat in two chairs that he has pulled up to his desk. "Pumpkin juice?" Dumbledore inquires, taking his own seat.

"No, thank you," I mumble.

"So, I know that you two have done nothing wrong," he begins, "but would you mind giving me the full story on what happened?"

I sit back as Potter recounts what happened, adding in a few important details here and there. Once he finishes, Professor Dumbledore nods gravely.

"I see," he says. "Well, Lily, don't forget your wand next time." I let out a little laugh. "You two are dismissed. Happy Christmas!"

"Is that all?" I ask him, standing up.

"Yes, Miss Evans," he tells me kindly. I say goodbye and walk out of the office, James right behind me.

"That was surprisingly smooth," he notes as we exit.

"Definitely," I agree with him. "So, did you ever finish McGonagall's essay?" Potter nods.

"Yeah, later that night," he explains. "Oh, there's Sirius. See you around, I suppose."

"Bye," I call weakly as he joins his friend. I head up into the common room, hoping to see Marly. I feel terrible that I ditched her after she went to get me a present, and feel the need to tell her what happened.

"Merlin, Lily, where the fuck where you?" She stands up, wild-eyed, as the Fat Lady swings shut behind me.

"Sorry," I say. "There was a thing."

"Damn right, there was a thing," Marlene replies nastily, heading towards me.

"There was a man and James had to rescue me," I say hastily as we she grabs my arm and we head up to the dormitory.

"Since when is he _James_?" Marly asks, surprised.

I shrug. "Dunno."

"Lils, I was so worried about you!" she exclaims. I can really see the worry on her face, in her eyes and in the little frown on her mouth.

"Marly, I really am sorry," I say, putting an arm around her.

"It's okay," she sniffs. "At least I got your present."

I snort. "Thanks." I glance at the white and gold watch which is wrapped around my wrist. "Shit, Mar, we're going to be late for the Christmas Eve feast."

"Really?" she peers over my shoulder to look at the time. "Fuck, you're right." We dash down the stairs and out of the common room, receiving angry glares from the Fat Lady as we exit.

I laugh as we skid into the Great Hall and heads swivel our way. I'm happy for no particular reason, or maybe for all of the reasons. It's Christmas Eve, and _James Bloody Potter_ just rescued me from the Hog's Head, and a blanket of white snow covers the grounds and it's _so fucking beautiful._

I sit down, feeling a huge smile spread across my face.

"I think she's high," I hear Marlene tell James. "Seriously, what did you do to her?"

He shrugs. "Beats me."

I look up at both of them. "No," I protest. "Just happy. It's Christmas Eve!"

"High," Potter agrees. "Definitely high." I glare at both of them before taking some mince pie and putting it onto my plate. Listening to Sirius, James, and Marlene's conversation, I chew on my food. They're talking about what we're going to be doing tomorrow, and everyone is suggesting a school-wide snowball fight. There's at least a foot of snow outside, and bloody hell, is it tempting.

"I'd be up for that," I tell everyone. "Seriously, we should ask the professors to join us."

Marlene lets out a huge burst of laughter. "Can you imagine? Professor McGonagall, making a snow fort?"

"Merlin, I would die to see that," Sirius cuts in.

"It's on."


	5. Chapter 5

I am up early the next morning, before anyone else was up. I sit on the couch by the fireplace, a blanket draped over my legs, a book I had snagged from the library the other day in my lap. The common room is empty and silent, except for the gentle crackle of the fire and the shriek of the wind outside. Absorbed in my book, I don't realize someone is standing behind me until they put a hand on my shoulder.

"Bloody hell," I gasp, turning around.

"Sorry, Evans." James Potter says sheepishly. "You do realize it's only six thirty?"

"I've been up for ages already," I tell him.

"Excited because it's Christmas?" He winks playfully. "Happy Christmas, by the way."

"You too, but that's not it," I protest. "Okay, so it is. But I love being up early anyways." He takes a seat on the armchair next to me, surveying the common room.

"This _is_ nice," James admits, hiding a yawn behind the back of his hand. "You know why winter break is my favorite?"

"Why?" I ask. "Aside from the obvious no classes, of course."

His answer surprises me. "No head boy duties. Just relaxing and forgetting that I should be a 'responsible young man.'" James mockingly puts air quotes around the last bit.

I nod, in silent agreement. "So, did you get me any presents?" I grin at him. I know I am flirting shamelessly with James now, but it's Christmas, and I don't care.

"I seem to have forgotten," he replies, looking out the window. "But you better have gotten _me _something."

"Re-gifting is the key to success," I joke.

"A-ha!" He leaps up. "Lily Evans is a re-gifter! I can't believe it."

"I am not," I deny, but it is in vain. James wears a gleeful look on his face and is dancing around the room. "Seriously, Potter, stop it." Still grinning, he retreats back to the armchair, plucking the book I'm reading out of my hands and looking at the cover.

"The Great Gatsby? I've read this," he says.

"Really?" I ask James, surprised.

"I'm not _that_ uncultured," he pouts. "It's quite good."

"I love it so far," I reply.

"Good." I reclaim my book and we sit in silence for a little bit until Marlene finally saunters down the stairs, promptly followed by Sirius.

"Happy Christmas! Wait—are we the only seventh year Gryffindors here?" I question, looking around.

"Lily, _duh_," Marly teases. "Honestly, with your eyes glued to Potter here, I'm surprised you even noticed Sirius and me."

I blush furiously. "That's not true! It just seems really empty, that's all."

She scoffs. "Sure, Lils." Sirius coughs behind her.

"Guys, I actually bought presents this time," he says, crossing his arms and inspecting his boots. "Are we going to stand around all day, or can we actually open them?"

Marlene laughs gently, standing on her toes to give him a little kiss. "Course, love." She runs up the stairs to retrieve her presents, and I follow suit.

"Mar, I didn't get James anything," I confess, grabbing the gift-wrapped things that I've stowed under my bed.

"He won't mind," she assures me. "Just give him your Yorkshire pudding tonight, and you'll be fine."

"I thought he was a bigger fan of chocolate cake." I smile, waiting for Marlene to gather up everything. Juggling the lot, she heads down the stairs, and I follow suit, taking a seat next to Sirius.

"Evans. Still stealing my best mate, I see?" He nods at James as he says this.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," I reply, tossing a present to Marlene. She catches it suavely, taking a seat and handing us each a gift.

"Thanks, Mar," I say, gently ripping open the gift wrap. I gasp, holding up a silver cage. It holds a spotted tawny howl, who screeches softly at me. I open the door, stroking her soft feathers.

"You know, so we can keep in touch after Hogwarts." Marlene hugs me tightly. "Her name's Piper, by the way."

"Marlene, thank you _so _much," I reply, hugging her back. "What I got you wasn't quite so extravagant, but…" I trail off as she opens it. It's a silver pendant, hanging from a long chain. On one side, a heart is engraved, and on the other lies the Gryffindor symbol. She hangs it around her neck, thanking me happily.

James gets a book called _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from her, and Sirius, a new pair of boots.

"I was thinking about what Lily said to you the other day at Hogsmeade," she explains. Sirius grins.

"Love you, Mar," he says, and I can tell he means it from the way his eyes light up as Marlene catches his gaze and holds it.

My parents also send me a note and a package. It holds a few books that I'd been meaning to buy myself and a new scarf, which I appreciate, but the note contains something entirely different. My face falls as I read it. My mother explains how my sister has met someone, and they're getting married as soon as school lets out. She also wishes me a happy Christmas, of course, and tells me that she misses me. My father sends his regards as well.

"What's the matter, Lily?" James asks, seeing my reaction.

"Oh, nothing." I brush him off. He raises a skeptical eyebrow, but doesn't pry.

"Breakfast, anyone?" Marlene says lightly, breaking the tension.

"Yes, please!" Sirius jumps up, showing off the new boots that clad his feet. "Mar, they fit perfectly." She gives him a thumbs up as we depart the common room, a swarm of first and second years taking over the couches that we had just been lounging on.

After breakfast, James complains that he's dying to play a little bit of Quidditch, and Sirius goes with him. Marlene and I exchange a look before and following them outside.

"Lily, why don't you come play?" Sirius teases as we take a seat on ground of the pitch.

"I'm alright, thanks," I reply.

"She hates Quidditch." James nudges him in the side.

"No, I don't," I frown at them. "I just don't want to play it, that's all. I love watching all your matches."

"Okay, sorry," he tells me. "I didn't realize."

I shrug. "Whatever." Marlene leans in to share my cloak; she has forgotten hers. I conjure a bit of fire to warm us up, but it doesn't do much, and watching James and Sirius play isn't all that interesting.

"Do you want me to go get some hot cocoa?" I propose as she shivers yet again.

"Lils, would you?" she says gratefully. James lands and dismounts his broom in front of me.

"You'll need four hands to carry the mugs," he civilly comments. "Also, you don't know where the kitchens are."

"So basically, you're inviting yourself along." I laugh.

"Evans, you're loosing your touch." James says as we're walking back into the castle.

"What do you mean?" I question.

"I mean," he makes a grandiose gesture, "that normally, you would have hexed me ages ago for asking that."

"It's Christmas." I shrug. "Also, you've been doing all the head girl duties that I've been slacking off on, and I owe you."

"Well, you've been studying nonstop for your NEWTS," James smiles. "It was the least I could do."

"Thanks, though."

"Anything for you."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. The red locks are hanging in my face, and I twist them up into a knot on the back of my head. "That fight in the library seems so long ago, doesn't it?"

Potter cringes. "Merlin, I'd forgotten about that. Please forget about that too."

"Okay?"

"If I could take back anything I've said to you, that would be it."

"It wasn't _that_ bad," I tell him.

"It was."

"Fine, so it was terrible and really embarrassing for both of us. But we're mature seventeen year olds, and it doesn't have to get in the way between us."

"Actually, Lily Evans, aren't you sixteen?"

I pause in my tracks. "Right. My birthday's the thirtieth." He frowns.

"As in, five days from now?"

"Oh!" I start. "The thirtieth of January. Also, where are we going?" We are stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit. James reaches a hand up and tickles the pear. The frame swings open, revealing a doorway.

"Viola!" he says. "The kitchens."

"No kidding," I breathe, in awe. House elves are everywhere, scurrying to and fro as they take cakes out of ovens and put kettles on the stove. It's a busy, bumbling mess, and I _love_ it. Wafts of pine and chocolate and roast chicken hit my nose, and I inhale happily. James looks happy too; he's observing the kitchen with great pride, like he made it himself.

"How may Penny help you?" an elf squeaks, standing before us.

"Four hot cocoas, please," I tell her. She scurries away, only to return a moment later with four, steaming mugs of chocolaty wonderfulness. We each take two, and I turn to head away, before James stops me with a hand on my arm.

"Lily, let's not hurry back," he says. "Enjoy the view, hey?" Smiling, I take a seat on empty stool. This is my last Christmas at Hogwarts, and despite previous thoughts, it's not bad at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter decided to take somewhat of a darker turn, but on the bright side, it's up early! And hey, last chapter was pure, wonderful fluff.  
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**Also, dear readers, thank you for favoriting and following! Favoriting isn't actually a word, apparently.**

**Anyways, enjoy! x**

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><p>"What took you two lovebirds so long?" Marlene jokes as we come back.<p>

"Love, no. Birds, maybe." I tell her, handing both her and Sirius a cup of cocoa. They accept them with grateful, eager hands.

In turn, James hands me the other mug in his hand. I take a tentative sip, sighing happily as the hot cocoa slips down my throat and warms my insides.

"These house elves really know how to cook," he comments. I nod vehemently in agreement.

"When are we having the snowball fight?"

"Fuck, I forgot about that," Sirius says, a lazy grin spreading across his face as he puts an arm around Marlene. She glares at him playfully, shoving it off. I stand up, brushing the snow off my cloak. Marly holds out a hand and I help her up, spilling most of my hot chocolate onto the snow as I do so.

"Shit," I complain, looking at my now empty mug.

"You can have mine, if you want." James comes up behind me, nudging my shoulder and offering his mug to me.

"I'm good." I smile and wave him off, but he raises an eyebrow and puts his cup into my hands.

"I'm not sick, I promise." His mouth quirks up into a small smirk, and I swear, it is taking all the self control in me right now not to take his face in my hands and kiss him. _Merlin, Lily, what are you thinking?_ I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"Thanks," I say as I take the cup from him, not quite meeting his eyes. We head back into the castle, Sirius and Marlene walking a few steps in front of James and me. Sirius has slung an arm around Marly's shoulders, and she's laughing about something he's said. I glance at James out of the corner of my eye. He's looking at the lake, which has frozen over completely. A little sigh escapes him and his gaze drops to his feet.

"What's going on?" I ask Potter, offering him back the dregs of the hot cocoa. He shakes his head, pushing the mug away.

"Nothing," he tells me. I cut my eyes at him.

"I know you better than that," I reply.

"Well, remember how I didn't question you when you opened that letter from your parents?" I nod. "Do me a favor."

I frown, refusing to let this go. "James, please tell me?" He shakes his head stubbornly.

"Not here." We have reached the castle, and Sirius and Marlene split off from us, heading upstairs to find the Ravenclaw students. We are tasked with finding any and all teachers that would want to join us in a snowball fight, although I'm skeptical about persuading McGonagall. James and I round a corner, bumping into a few Slytherin students on our way. I fall onto the floor, scraping my palm in the process.

"Watch where you're going, _mudblood_," Avery growls as I scramble to my feet. I hear Potter inhale sharply through his teeth, but I put out a hand to stop him from doing anything he'll regret later on. Taking a deep breath, I take James' arm and brush past the Slytherins, casually wiping my cut on Avery's cloak and smearing blood on the spotless grey cashmere.

"Oops," I say innocently. "Sorry." Avery looks like he wants to murder me. I have no doubt he would, should he get the chance. My heart is thudding in my chest as we turn our backs on the agape Slytherins. I'm head girl, but I've never done anything as severe as this. I'm used to handing out detentions, breaking up small fights. This is a new feeling, and I want to relish it. However, the warmth inside my chest quickly subsides as James drags me into an empty classroom at the first chance we get and lets go of my hand.

"Lily…" he says, trailing off. "That was really fucking brave." I snort, although I am still trembling a little bit and there is a pit of anxiety in my stomach.

"It was nothing," I reply, waving him off. He raises an eyebrow.

"Are you going to tell me why you were so upset this morning?" James asks.

"I just got a letter from my parents," I explain. "Petunia—my sister—she's getting married at the end of the school year. I've met the bloke before; I thought they were just friends. He's bloody awful. I mean, it's not a big deal really, I was just a bit upset."

"Sorry." James puts a hand on my arm and peers into my eyes, searching. "I know that can be hard on you, especially on Christmas day."

"I'll be fine," I assure him with a half-hearted smile. "What about you?"

"My father's in the hospital," he tells me. "Got cursed while searching for some inferi that had been causing some trouble."

I clap a hand to my mouth in horror. "James, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

James shakes his head. "Thanks, Lils, but I'll be fine." Our conversations are mirroring each other, and neither of us are fine, not in the least. This is also the first time he's ever called me 'Lils,' and shivers are dancing up my spine.

"James…" I reach out a hand, brushing his shoulder. His eyes are filled with this unimaginable sadness; he is hunched over as though a weight has been placed on his shoulders that he can't hold up. "How have you been keeping this in all day?" I stare at this beautiful boy before me, and wonder how he can come across as charismatic, flirtatious, even joyful when his father is so sick.

James shrugs. "It's not hard when you're around such wonderful people." I blush, silently cursing my mother's red hair.

"But…why didn't you go home for Christmas? If your father is so sick?"

"It was my mum's idea," James explains. "She thought it would be nice for me to spend my last Christmas at Hogwarts, well, at Hogwarts."

"I'm glad you did," I reply quietly. He blinks, and for a second I'm afraid I've said the wrong thing, but then he straightens up, letting out a deep sigh.

"We should find the professors," he says abruptly, changing the subject.

"You're right," I agree.

As we head up the stairs, James casually puts an arm around my shoulders. "While we're talking, let's discuss head duties for when everyone gets back. Quidditch practices are going to become quite a bit more frequent…"

He keeps blathering on about nothing, but I am not listening. No, I am thinking about our families. I am thinking about the upcoming war that is looming over our heads, and the fact that our Christmases are somewhat spoiled by these occurrences. I am thinking about the fact that James and I are not arguing, and that it is the most wonderful feeling in the world, even better than pissing off Avery and Mulciber. So much better.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello lovelies! These chapters are absolutely pouring out of my brain, which is good, because that means more updates for you! This chapter is a slightly shorter one, but enjoy! **

**P.S. don't forget to review if you liked the last chapter! x**

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><p>"I can't believe Professor McGonagall said no," James complains as we descend the stairs from the headmaster's office.<p>

"You didn't actually expect her to join a snowball fight, did you?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Well, yes…" He says sheepishly. I shake my head teasingly.

"It doesn't matter," I reply, running down the hallway. "I'll be happy as long as the Slytherins don't show!" James chases after me, and shrieking and laughing, we dash down the stairs and off to Professor Flitwick's office. Slughorn is inside with him, and they seem to be chatting whilst enjoying a bit of scotch.

"Happy Christmas, Lily! James!" Slughorn greets us in a booming voice as we enter. "And to what may we owe the pleasure of your company?" James and I exchange a look, silently agreeing that he may have had a smidge too much to drink.

"Er, it's a bit silly really, but we were wondering if you wanted to join the students in a snowball fight?" He fidgets as he explains everything to the teachers.

"I'm afraid we'll have to pass on that one," Flitwick squeaks. "The weather looks positively ghastly." I glance outside. It _does _look awful, much worse that it had when we were just outside. The wind is tearing through the forbidden forest, and I'm surprised none of the trees have been uprooted by now. The sky has turned cloudy and grey, and the snow rapidly picks up, sending flakes spinning through the air. As we watch, the Quidditch pitch is covered in yet another blanket of snow, and soon the weather provides too much, and we can barely see through the fogged glass and onto the lawn.

"What could be going on?" I breathe, trying in vain to peer through the window.

"I don't know," James replies, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Merlin, I hope no one's out there right now." As soon as he says this, Sirius, Marlene, and a group of Ravenclaws burst into the classroom.

"What's going on outside?" Marlene demands.

"I don't know." Slughorn wears a troubled look on his face. "Marlene, would you mind finding the headmaster?"

"He's in his office," I cut in. "I saw him with McGonagall."

Mar nods. "On it." She grabs Sirius' hand and sprints away.

"This is not just a normal storm," James says.

"You don't think it could be…dementors?" I ask.

"Honestly, I don't know." He glances over at Professor Flitwick to see his reaction.

"Lily, you may very well be correct," he says gravely, staring outside. Although it isn't even lunch yet, it is pitch black.

"Dementors? On Christmas?" A Ravenclaw behind us moans, interrupting our pensive discussion. I turn around, pity in my face, and I rush to comfort the little second year. We should all be back home with our families; not here, not now. We sit in worried silence for a little while, until finally Dumbledore comes rushing in, Marlene and Sirius behind him.

"Dementors," he says gravely, confirming our suspicions. "Is everyone inside the castle right now?"

"I think so," I tentatively reply. "Sirius, you didn't send out any students?" He shakes his head, and I almost collapse with relief.

"Thank Merlin," James says.

"Filius, Horace, and all of the seventh years, come with me," Dumbledore commands. "The rest of you, please return to your dormitories." He ushers us out into the hallway and up the stairs. The headmaster brings us into his office, where Professor McGonagall and a few of the other teachers sit.

"As you very well know, there are dementors outside the castle," he announces. "Does anyone here _not_ know how to cast a Patronus charm?" No one moves. "I know I cannot ask you of this, but anyone who would like to assist in defending the castle may follow me." Dumbledore stares piercingly at the seventh years before moving on.

"Grab your cloaks and anything you need. It will be cold, and dark, and I estimate over fifty dementors, judging by the weather. We shall meet in the Great Hall at the top of the hour."

I glance at my watch. 11:38. I can't believe it is so early; this morning seems as if it was decades ago. I mouth the time to James, who nods. We turn to leave the office, nodding at Dumbledore as we head back to the Gryffindor common room.

As soon as we are out of earshot, Sirius angrily spits, "why the _hell _are dementors on the Hogwarts grounds?"

"The Ministry," Potter says dully.

"No, it's Voldemort," I reply. "He must be persuading the dementors to join his side."

"No, it's the Ministry," he repeats. "I talked to my father the other day, to ask him about the inferi, you know." We exchange a glance before he continues. "He told my that Voldemort had gotten the werewolves, giants, and inferi to join him, but not the dementors just yet. The Ministry of Magic still controls them."

"Maybe something's changed within the past few days," I say desperately.

"Lily, let's be realistic." Marlene puts a hand on my shoulder.

"But why would they send dementors to Hogwarts?"

"Dunno," she replies. "Safety, I suppose."

"On _Christmas Day_?" I say incredulously.

"Well, they didn't come yesterday, did they," she points out.

"But the Ministry of Magic?" I protest.

"We have to get to the Great Hall," Sirius says casually, breaking into our conversation. "I mean, if you all want to be late, I'm not complaining or anything."

"No, Padfoot, you're right," James says. We all hurry downstairs, where most of the professors are waiting anxiously near the front doors. McGonagall nods tersely at us, but Dumbledore beams a smile. The rest of the students hustle in, and then we are off, into the cold and the dark.

I wrap my Gryffindor scarf around my neck, nervously fingering the edges. James nudges me as we head out of the doors, smiling warmly. I smile back before drawing my wand and putting on my hat.

Outside the castle, it is _freezing._ It's normally cold during the winter, obviously, but this is bitter and sharp and stinging. And then there is the gloom, and I want to break down crying as soon as the wind picks up again. It smothers me, and I can hear all the times the Slytherins have jeered at me in my head, the day that Severus called me a mudblood, and all of the times Tuney said she was ashamed that I was her sister.

_A witch in the family. You're not invited to the wedding._ Her jarring words play over and over in my head; a broken record that won't turn off. I left out the last part during my conversation with James, and now the guilt from that traps me too. My eyes have still not adjusted to the dark, but I can feel hot tears start to fall. I wipe them away with the back of my hand, continuing to walk slowly, cautiously to wherever Professor Dumbledore is leading. The tears begin to fall harder when James nudges me again.

"All right there, Evans?" He whispers, and I can hear the grin in his voice, despite the dementors.

"I'll manage, Potter," I reply. He doesn't respond, but I know he is at my side. It fends off the misery, just for a little bit, but there is still the darkness, covering us like a shroud.

"Lumos," Professor Dumbledore's voice comes from somewhere in front of us. A small light pierces the darkness, and the rest of us do the same with our wands. And that's when we see that we are _surrounded _by dementors.


	8. Chapter 8

**I am _so_ sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter! I tried to get this one out as soon as possible, though. Thank you to anyone who left a review, they are lovely and make me so happy! So without further ado, enjoy chapter 8!**

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><p>"Expecto Patronum!" The air is filled with shouts of Patronus charms and jets white light. A stag bursts out of James' wand, which, for some reason, makes a lot of sense. I can definitely see James as a stag. It chases a way a few dementors, but there are still overwhelming numbers of them left. Sirius waves his wand behind me, sending a large dog at the creatures before us. The dementors are deterred for a little while, but there are still so, so many of them left. I vividly remember Professor Dumbledore telling us that there would be at least fifty. More like fifty thousand. While that is a huge exaggeration, I wouldn't be surprised if there were no dementors left in Azkaban, and they had all migrated here.<p>

"Why are there so many of them?" I shout to James.

"They're breeding!" He yells back. This is immensely funny to me, and I use this memory to cast another Patronus charm. Just the picture of a pair of dementors kissing sends me into hysterics.

"But if two dementors kissed each other, then they would both be soulless," I point out.

"It's not like they have souls anyway!" He screams, dodging Sirius' patronus as it leaps over his head.

"Expecto Patronum!" I yell, thinking of the time I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter. It was, without a doubt, the best moment of my life. But only a feeble wisp of white light comes out, and I realize that the memory is tainted by my sister, a sullen shadow in the corner of my mind.

_You're not invited. _I sigh, exasperated, as her words cloud my head. Damn Petunia and all of her jealousy. Shaking my head, trying to clear my mind, I try again. "Expecto Patronum!" I shout, but am granted with the same results. Screaming in frustration, I wrack my brain for another happy memory, but all that comes to me is getting hot chocolate with James from the kitchens this morning. Focusing on that moment, I cast the spell again.

I roll my eyes, despite being in battle, as it works. How typical. A tiger shoots out of my wand, roaring as it wards off a cluster of dementors. We move forward, defeating yet more, but nonetheless it is a long, exhausting hour before we have expelled all of the dementors from the grounds.

As the last dementor is thrown from Hogwarts, the scenery becomes a shade lighter, and the ominous clouds that had planted themselves so quickly in the sky recede. Dumbledore smiles widely, and we walk back to the castle, cheering as we enter the doors.

"Oi, Professor, when is lunch?" Sirius sidles up to the headmaster.

He chuckles before replying, "Mr. Black, I will tell the house elves to bring a feast up to the Gryffindor common room."

"Thanks, sir," he says, falling back to join James, Marlene, and I. He slings his arms around both my neck and Potter's, grinning as we head up the stairs.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Prongsie?" He asks.

"Sure, Padfoot." He laughs. Sirius leans over James to kiss Marly on the mouth, and she kisses him back, deeply.

"PDA is not okay!" James chants as they break apart. Just for kicks, Sirius kisses him on the mouth too.

"Get a room," I tease.

"Evans, are you feeling left out?" Sirius questions.

"Actually, no, I'm perfectly fine," I tell him. He kisses me on the cheek anyway for good measure. I make a face and wipe it away, glancing at James, who looks absolutely horrified.

"You know, Prongs, I think Marlene and I might have to skip the feast at lunch," he says nonchalantly. "Save us some food."

"There's an empty classroom at the end of the hallway on the third floor!" I call after them, smirking. James shakes his head fondly.

"It's Christmas. Let them be."

Changing the subject, I bring up something that's been nagging me for a little while.

"So, when you said it was the Ministry who sent the dementors, what did you mean?" I question.

"Well…" James pauses. "They probably just sent them for safety at the school, you know. I hear there was an attack on a group of students in Hogsmeade the other day."

"What?" I exclaim angrily. "I'm the head girl! Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"It was Christmas Eve." He fidgets. "Also, we were in Professor Dumbledore's office after the 'incident' in the Hog's Head."

I cross my arms. "Fine. Continue."

"As I said before, the Ministry claims to have sent the dementors for safety. I think the massive numbers of them _must_ have been an accident, I mean, even the Minister—Harold Minchum—he wouldn't be that thick." James tells me.

"Oh, he wouldn't?" I say disbelievingly. "Last time I checked, he was all for discriminating by blood status. I think that definitely plays a roll in all of this."

Potter runs a hand through his black hair, sighing. "Okay, Lily, maybe you're right. But it's the holidays; why would he do it _now_, of all times?"

"I think he knew it was when Hogwarts would be the most vulnerable," I say cautiously. "Most of the students are gone, so he wouldn't put as many lives in danger. At least, that's my guess."

"We'll talk to Dumbledore about it later, okay?" He proposes. I nod, seeing that we've reached the common room, and have been standing outside the fat lady's portrait in heated discussion.

"Jelly legs," James tells her, and she swings open. We head inside, only to see stacks and stacks of food on carts that have been rolled in, per Sirius' request. Our conversation is halted for a little while as James and I exchange a look before diving in on the food. I pick up a plate and heap it with turkey and roast vegetables and rolls and oh, there's a large chocolate cake sitting in the middle of the arrangement. It calls my name and of course, I must answer. I bring my plate, heaped with food, next to the fire and sit down with James. Marlene and Sirius have still not arrived, but there are shy groups of first, second and third years lingering by the carts. The older students are mingling at the other side of the room, laughing and enjoying the fact that it's Christmas.

"Help yourself," I tell a girl who is eagerly eyeing the chocolate cake. She doesn't need to be told twice, and I have to smother a giggle as she practically dives in.

Taking a look at all of this food, I let out a small groan.

"I'm not going to be able to eat anything at the feast tonight after all this," I complain. James laughs.

"With your appetite, I'm sure you will," he says.

"Hey!" I elbow him in the ribcage.

"Evans, don't deny it." He flashes his trademark 'I'm James Potter' grin at me. I should be used to it; he's been chasing after me for years, but wow, is it particularly blinding today. "Are you going to eat that?" James asks, gesturing at my chocolate cake.

"_Yes_," I say, defensively pulling it closer to my chest. He sighs mournfully.

"I guess I'll starve to death then."

"I guess you will." He flashes me his grin _again_, but I refuse to let it get to me. "Get your own," I tell him. Potter sighs again.

"But it's _so_ much effort," he whines.

"_So_ much effort," I mimic, finally giving in and scraping the rest of my cake onto his plate. "I'm stuffed." James pokes my stomach.

"I can see that." His eyes are crinkled up at the edges with happiness, and I can tell that James is really, truly happy right now—that momentarily, he's forgotten about his parents. We finish our food, and I suggest that we go find Marlene and Sirius, or else we'll never see them again.

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," James says, burps, and stands up. He holds out a hand to help me up too, which I take gratefully. We crawl out of the hole and down the stairs, calling our friends' names.

"Marlene!" I yell, heading into the library. James is still exploring the second floor, but I am entertaining the possibility that they might be somewhere amidst the aisles of books. Madam Pince gives me the most evil look I have ever seen as I walk through the doors, and I quickly spin around, fleeing. I bump into James on my way out, who also gets a glare from her.

"Oops," he whispers, following me as I run down the hallway.

"There aren't even any students in the library right now!" I protest.

He shrugs. "Have you found them?"

"Does it look like I have?"

"You have a good point," he says. "You know, this is stupid. They're probably in the common room right now, feasting."

"And I'm hungry again."

"What did I tell you?" He smiles and puts an arm around my shoulders, just as a friendly gesture, and we head upstairs, dementors forgotten.

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><p><strong>There are a few comments I want to make very quickly. First of all, regarding Lily's patronus. I realize it's a doe, but it changes after she falls in love with James, like Snape's, and even Tonks'. I thought it would be interesting to have hers be tiger, as she is called Tiger Lily in some fics, and it's quite a good representation of her personality. Also, I did my research, and the Minister for Magic is Harold Minchum. (He was in place from 1975-1980, I believe.) And I'm not British, lovely as they are, so my representation of Christmas might be a bit different than you're used to.<strong>

**But other than that, was the end of this chapter not wonderful wonderful fluff? It made me so happy, after all the dementors and everything. I promise the next chapter will be out soon!**

**xx Ash**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hooray, another early update! This chapter is pure fluff. All of it. Every single word.**

**Also don't forget to like and review, if you so desire! Enjoy!**

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><p>I am going to burst. Quite literally. My stomach is filled with the most delicious food I have ever tasted, and I am going to explode into a million pieces. I'm sure James, Sirius, and Marlene feel the same way. Hell, even Dumbledore looked like he was going to throw up after the feast, as we all were dismissed and went up to our dormitories. I may just have gorged myself a bit too much at dinner tonight. Right now, I am sitting in the common room on the floor and leaning against the couch, while stroking Piper's feathers. Marlene, Sirius, and James are making quiet conversation above me, discussing tonight's dinner and our plans for New Year's.<p>

"Oh, that reminds me." James sits up suddenly. "My dad's feeling better, and mum's asked if you all wanted to spend New Year's down at my house. We'll be having a big party and everything, and Moony and Wormtail are bound to be there too. You'll probably see Alice, and Dorcas, and just about everybody, actually. I mean, if you don't want to come, that's probably fine, but—"

"Prongs, shut up." Sirius cuts him off. "They'll come. Calm down."

"That sounds like fun," Marlene chirps. "It's not like we'll be doing anything remotely interesting here."

"It's great that your dad's feeling better," I say.

James slides off the couch and takes a seat next to me. "Thanks. I got an owl from him just before the feast."

"So, when are we leaving?" I ask.

"Tomorrow evening. Dumbledore told me he would arrange transportation."

"Speaking of owls," Sirius says, ambling over to the window and unlatching it. I hadn't realized there was anything outside, but a small, snowy owl flies in, collapsing just inside the common room. He picks it up and brings it over to us. There is a tightly bound scroll attached to its leg, which he removes and unfurls.

"It's from Alice," he tells us, passing it to me so I can read what it says.

_Dearest Lily and Marlene,_

_I hope this arrives to you on time. The weather is positively ghastly out right now; I hope it's not too bad at Hogwarts. Happy Christmas! I trust you all are having a splendid time. I certainly am, as the Longbottoms have come to stay with us for the remainder of the holiday. It's so sad! Their house has been raided by a group of Death Eaters. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but of course they couldn't stay there any longer. Spending time with Frank is wonderful, I must say. He's a right gentleman whenever mum asks him to do anything. I mean, obviously. Everything's all very well up here, I hope the same for you two! And Sirius and James, of course. Lily, I expect you've managed not to hex anyone too badly while I'm away. Another thing—I couldn't very well mail your presents to you, so I'll have to give them to you when we see each other on New Years. You are coming to the Potters' party, right? Anyway, I'll see you soon!_

_Lots of love,_

_Alice Fortesque_

"I guess we have no choice but to go to your party now, Potter," I joke. "I'm sure Alice is absolutely _ecstatic _that the Longbottoms are staying with them."

"It's so sad that the Death Eaters raided their house, though," Marlene says sympathetically, leaning her head on Sirius' shoulder. I nod silently in agreement.

"I'm just going to take Alice's owl up to the owlery," she tells us, picking it up.

"Good luck," Sirius tells her.

"Much obliged." She leaves the common room with a swish of her robes and a flick of her blonde hair.

"So, ladies." Sirius squishes in between James and I. "I got this awful pair of socks from the Christmas crackers at dinner tonight. Evans, want to trade?" He holds up one bright green sock, the color of my eyes, and another black one. The green one is embroidered with many different eyes, which have been charmed to look like they're moving. The black one stinks of rotting eggs.

I laugh. "Trade what? I've got a nice feathered quill, but James broke the nib when he sat on it."

"Hey! It wasn't my fault!" Potter puts his hands up in defense.

"It wasn't?" I open my mouth to say something more, but Sirius cuts us off.

"Evans, I get that you think Prongs here is a prat, but can you all argue somewhere else, before I get hexed? I mean, mate, it's Christmas."

"Sorry," I say abashedly.

"Right."

"Oh, I've also got a garden snake, if you want it," I offer.

"A garden snake?" He asks. "I'll take it. Maybe put it in the Slytherin dormitories."

"Sniv—Snape isn't here; rather pointless if you ask me," James idly says. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I hadn't seen Severus around the castle at all during the holidays, but I wondered if he'd just been avoiding me. Now that he wasn't here, I felt much freer, lighter.

Sirius takes the snake anyway. "I'll put it in Avery's bed, then. I hear he's been trying to recruit my damn brother to become a Death Eater."

"Go for it." James slaps him on the back, and I roll my eyes. Just as Sirius is about to leave, Marlene climbs into the common room.

"Lily, come help me pack," she demands.

"But we're not leaving until tomorrow!" I protest.

"Yes, I know. But I've just realized that I haven't touched any of my homework since the holidays started, and I don't want to do it at the Potters, because that's just no fun," she tells me.

I smile. "Sure, Marly," I agree, pushing on James' shoulder as I climb to my feet. She puts her arm through mine and we head upstairs to the dormitory.

"Should we wait up for you?" He calls to our backs.

"Nah." Marlene vaguely waves a hand behind her.

"Sirius, wait until tomorrow," I advise. "The Slytherins will all be in their common room right now."

"Thanks, Evans." He winks.

As soon as Marlene and I reach the dorms, she pulls me to the side, her eyes wide.

"I need to tell you something," she says frantically.

I feel like I've just had a mini heart attack. "What?"

"I have no idea what to wear."

I visibly sag with relief, putting a hand to my chest. "Merlin, Mar, never do that to me again!"

She grins wickedly. "But actually, I need something that says 'I'm incredibly cute but could also murder you in a heartbeat.'"

"You pull that look off no matter what you wear." I nudge her, pulling a few skirts and dresses out of my trunk. "I don't know either, though."

Marlene throws a navy knee-length skirt at me. "This is too small for me, and I've been saving it for you. Wear it."

I slide it on over my black tights. "How does it look?" I ask, coming over to stand by her at the mirror. Honestly, it is _gorgeous_. The skirt is just simple and cotton, but paired with my white lace top makes it perfect for a New Year's party.

"Ooh, James is going to _love_ you in that," she tells me.

I frown. "I don't care?"

"Yes, you do."

"Mar, we're just friends."

"That's how every relationship starts," she says. "Does this clash?" She's wearing a scoop-neck, sky blue dress that falls perfectly over her and ends just above her knees, the pendant I gave her for Christmas around her neck.

"Are you kidding me? It's stunning!" I reply.

"Oh, good. I've had enough of this, and we've made such a mess." Marlene surveys the floor. Well, what used to be the floor. It's now covered with a layer of jewelry and clothing and books, and we are not going to have a fun time cleaning this up. I shrug, changing into sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Better get started, then," I comment.

"Tomorrow morning." Marly yawns.

"I thought you had homework?"

"As if I'm actually going to do it," she scoffs.

I let out a burst of laughter. "Tomorrow it is, then."


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get up! In my defense, it is a bit longer than usual. But yes, I am the master of procrastination. That's my nickname, actually. Master of Procrastination. That was also a lie.  
><strong>

**Anyways, this chapter is wonderful fluff and wonderfulness. I hope you enjoy reading it! Also, don't forget to favorite and review if you have the time. Thanks, darlings!**

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><p>"Hi," I say somewhat shyly to James as I greet him at breakfast. The Great Hall is rather empty, the clatter of bowls and silverware echoing in the vast room. Marlene is still sleeping; it was impossible to rouse her this morning, and Sirius is off making dirty jokes with the Hufflepuffs. Potter scoots over to make room for me on the wooden bench, and I plop down next to him.<p>

"Ready to leave tonight?" He asks, his voice muffled around his toast.

"Yup," I reply. "I've packed my whole trunk, plus an additional suitcase, do you think that'll be enough?"

"Lily, you're only going to be there for a week." He frowns, and then sees my expression. I start laughing, and he does too, almost choking on his food. I slap his back and he takes a sip of pumpkin juice to clear his airway.

"I thought you were serious!" James exclaims.

"No, I'm Lily." He punches me lightly in the shoulder.

"That wasn't funny."

"Come on, Potter, it totally was," I reply, giggling a little bit. He pouts, turning away from me and spreading butter on another slice of bread. I poke him in the shoulder. "Hey."

James glances up at me, still pouting. "It wasn't funny."

Laughing, I nod. "Fine. It wasn't funny _at all._"

"Thank you," he says civilly.

"Are we doing anything special today?" I ask.

"_We_?" James raises an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean."

"Well, Marlene was going on about doing some schoolwork—" he states.

"That's a filthy lie, and you know it." James snorts.

"Dunno. We leave at twelve thirty, so just make sure you're ready by then." He casts an anxious glance in my direction.

"Sounds brilliant," I tell him, grabbing at the neglected toast on his plate. Before he can do anything, I eat the last bite.

"Lily!" James whines. "Why would you do that?" I gesture to my mouth, still chewing. He huffs and crosses his arms until I finally swallow and talk to him again.

"You weren't eating it." I grin mischievously. Laughing, we excuse ourselves from the table.

"Padfoot, are you coming?" James prods Sirius in the ribs as we pass the Hufflepuff table.

He looks up. "Coming where?"

"Common room." Sirius nods and excuses himself from the Hufflepuffs.

"What's going on?" He asks, snaking an arm around my shoulders.

"Mate, nothing's going on," James tells him. "We're literally just going up to the common room."

"Oh." However, Sirius is not that easily deterred. "What's in the common room?"

"Bloody hell, Padfoot. Marlene's in the common room, okay?" Potter runs a hand through his dark hair, making it even messier than it already was. My mouth is suddenly dry, and I swallow, resisting the urge to reach out and pat his tufts of hair.

"Wonderful." Sirius beams. I run my hands along the polished banister as we walk upstairs, relishing in the fact that it's not teeming with people, for once. To my surprise, my shoes suddenly slip on the pale velvet of the stairs and I tumble backwards, hitting James and taking him down with me.

"Fuck," I groan, untangling myself from our pile at the bottom of the staircase.

"Merlin, Lily, what happened?" James asks, sitting up slowly.

"Sorry!" I squeak. "I slipped."

"I can see that," he says. Sirius, meanwhile, is still standing where we left him, nearly doubled over with laughter.

"You should have seen your expression when Lily hit you!" He wheezes, imitating James. His eyes light up with surprise and his mouth makes a round 'o' shape. Even I have to laugh at this, as it's such a good interpretation.

I stand up, brushing myself off and wincing. I seem to have scraped my knee and the palms of my hands, but James looks relatively unhurt.

"Sorry!" I say again. He waves a hand.

"Don't worry about it. Good thing there's a carpet, I must say."

I fondly shake my head before heading up to join Sirius, more carefully this time.

"Evans, that was really classy," he comments.

"Don't tell Mar," I warn him with a dangerous look. Sirius winks at me, and I hope that this is an agreement.

She meets us in the common room, still in her pyjamas.

"Did you bring me breakfast?" Marlene asks, blinking rapidly. Her normally flawless hair is a rat's nest, and she swipes blonde strands out of her face. Out of nowhere, Sirius offers her a buttered roll and a small pastry. She takes them from him gratefully, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully.

"You know, we never did have that snowball fight," she muses.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea." James hesitates.

"Not with the whole school," she explains. "Just us four. Sirius and I against you and Lily." I glance outside. There's still quite a bit of snow on the ground, shining in the bright light.

"Brilliant!" James exclaims. "I just need to get my things."

He and Sirius depart, and I dash up to my room, put my cloak atop another sweater, grab a few pieces of clothing for Marlene, and head back down. Tossing them at her, I take a seat in a squashy armchair. Marly pulls a sweatshirt over her head, fastens her cloak around her shoulders, and squeezes beside me into the chair as we wait for Sirius and James to hurry up and get ready.

They arrive momentarily, swaddled in layers like babies. Marlene takes Sirius' arm, and we amble down to the grounds. I step outside onto the freezing weather, squinting underneath the bright sunlight. My boots crunch on the frozen ground, and I grin and turn around as James, Sirius, and Marlene spill out the doors. Spreading my arms, I fall backwards with a puff into the snow. James collapses next to me, and we make snow angels until Mar and Sirius become impatient and drag us to our feet again. Brushing off my coat, I survey the shapes in the snow. My angel looks like it's holding hands with James', and, to my surprise, it's _cute_. Really, really adorable.

I adjust my mittens and bend down to pick up a handful of snow. I mold it into a ball and throw it at Sirius' back. He straightens up and glares at me, throwing another one at my face. I duck, shrieking with laughter, and toss a snowball at Marlene. It hits her in the side of her face, and she screams, running at me and pushing me over.

"That's cheating!" I complain as she stuffs snow into my face.

"Wait—guys—" James holds out a hand to stop us. "What time is it? I totally forgot to keep track."

I glance at my watch. "It's ten o'clock right now. We should definitely get ready." Marlene pouts, but gets up, helping me to my feet as well.

"Thanks," I say, brushing myself off. Although we only just came down, we trek back upstairs again.

"Jelly legs," I tell the fat lady.

"Oh, loves, the password's changing," she notifies us. "It's carol creams now."

"Alright, thank you!" I reply, heading inside the common room. I tumble headfirst into a sixth year, who gives me an angry look.

"Sorry," I say, straightening up.

"What's your problem?" James accuses the student. The sixth year shrinks back.

"James, calm down," I reply, putting a hand on his arm. He relaxes somewhat, allowing the student through. He scurries past James, a fearful look in his eyes.

"What was that about?" I ask him, bemused. James shrugs.

"Dunno."

"I can handle my own affairs, you know," I say.

"I know," he mumbles. "I just didn't like the look on his face."

I raise an eyebrow. "What look?" James' face goes slightly pink, and he mutters something incoherent.

"What was that?" I question him sweetly.

"He looked like he wanted to eat you, okay?" He gives in, exasperated. I snort.

"Surely he couldn't have been _that_ hungry?"

"You know what I mean!" James ruffles my hair. "Would you mind bringing down your bags? We'll leave in a little bit, and I want to talk to Professor Dumbledore first."

"Sure," I agree, but Marlene saunters down the stairs, both of our backpacks in tow. "Never mind, it looks like Mar's got them."

"What happened to the trunks, huh?" He flirts.

"Oh, she'll be bringing them down any moment." James flashes me a grin, messing up his hair, and grabs my backpack from Marlene and swings it over his shoulder before I can claim it from her.

"What about your stuff?" I protest.

"We're going to _my_ house, remember?" He points out.

"I can carry my own things, thank you very much." I reach for my bag, but he holds it away from me.

"Let me do a favor for the lady," says James.

"The lady is going to hex you if you don't give her your bag," I reply, not giving in to his harmless banter.

"Ah." He immediately hands me my backpack, not daring to take the risk.

Weighing the bag, I hand it back to James. "Actually, I've changed my mind. You can carry it." James laughs.

"Okay, Lils, your wish is my command."

Marlene's angry huff comes from the other side of the room, interrupting our conversation.

"We're going to be late, ladies. Let's move."

Obediently, James and I follow her up to Professor Dumbledore's office. We stop outside the gargoyles, puzzled about the password.

"It was licorice wand just the other day," I muse. "He always tells the heads what the password is, so he must have only just changed it." We huddle around the statues, brainstorming different passwords, when Professor McGonagall comes down the stairs, her face stony and pallid.

"Are you all leaving now?" She asks, somewhat tersely.

"Yup," I tell her.

"Well, have fun on your holiday."

"Thanks, Professor," James replies, climbing the steps. "Oh, Lily, try not to fall this time."

"I'll try not to," I say seriously. "No guarantees, though."

"At least I'm not behind you this time," he notes. I glance down at Sirius, who is gripping the railing and angrily looking up at me.

"Lily, if you fall, you will never see the light of day again," he threatens.

"We can't have that." Marlene pushes Sirius a little, as he's stopped. "Go." We reach Professor Dumbledore's office, where he is waiting expectantly for us as we arrive, his hands clasped atop his desk.

He stands, pushing his glasses farther up his nose, and escorts us to a small, dented silver key lying on a wooden table.

"Your portkey leaves in exactly twenty minutes and 42 seconds," he notifies us. "James, Lily, I need to ask you two something."

I anxiously follow him to his desk, taking a seat as he gestures to the empty chairs.

"Lily, my dear, there's no need to look so worried!" He chuckles. "You both were aware of the dementors on Christmas Day?"

"Of course," James says.

"Well, as you both may have very well guessed, the Ministry for Magic was indeed behind the actions.""I told you," he smugly says. I stick my tongue out at him.

Addressing me, Dumbledore continues. "Lily, as you are aware, Voldemort is trying to attack the castle. I don't know when, or where, but he and his Death Eaters will most certainly make an attempt. I tell you this not just because you are head girl, but because you are muggle born as well, and you will be targeted." I gulp, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants."It is both of your duties to protect this school. When we return from break, I shall alert the other prefects, but in the meantime, I wanted to let you know that this is happening, and it is entirely too real."

"But…what can we do to help?" I ask. He sighs gravely.

"Right now, I fear there is not much. I would recommend keeping an eye out for suspicious activities and the like, but again, we will be able to do more after the holidays." James and I both nod in silent agreement.

"Have fun," Dumbledore tells us warmly.

"Goodbye," I say with a little wave, rejoining Marlene and Sirius.

As soon as we put our fingers to the little key, I feel a tug just below my navel and am swirling, swirling, off to the Potter's house for the first time in my life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, darlings! Chapter 11 has arrived! My my, I can't believe we're on chapter 11 already. Things are getting exciting in the Potter household (eee!), and I'll let you get to it. Enjoy!**

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><p>I stumble as I land in the Potter's living room, catching the edge of a wooden table to keep me from falling. I take a few deep breaths to calm my writhing stomach before attempting to look around.<p>

"Everyone alright?" James asks.

"Yeah," I say, taking a few steps. Apparently, my stomach has still not returned to its usual state, and I tumble over, landing in his arms. He is soft and warm and doesn't protest when I pull myself away and straighten up, heat rising to my face.

"Sorry," I mumble, hating how rough my voice sounds. "I forgot how much I hate travel by portkey."

"Are you alright?" questions James, a touch of concern in his voice.

"Of course. I'll be fine in a moment," I assure him, but don't protest when he leads me over to the couch and sits me down. He runs to the kitchen to fetch me a glass of water, and Marlene sits next to me, sighing happily.

"I love the Potters' house so much," she confesses. I look around. We are sitting on plush black couches, and an ornately carved wooden table sits in front of us with a, half-filled wine glass on the rim. I reach out a hand to slide it closer to the middle, when James returns, along with his mother.

I immediately stand up, extending my hand to shake it.

"Hello, Mrs. Potter," I greet her, smiling.

"Oh, Lily, do call me Dorea," she says warmly. "I've heard ever so much about you from James!" I glance over at him to confirm this fact. He is blushing madly.

"Thank you for having me here," I tell her.

"Darling, it's nothing," she replies. "It's about time James had some girls in the house." This time, I'm the one who's blushing madly.

"James, why don't you show Lily and Marlene their room?" Dorea suggests.

"Sure," he agrees, picking up my backpack and swinging it over my shoulder. "Lil, can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better now, thank you," I say, smiling, as his concern is sweet. He leads me upstairs and down a short hallway, opening a white door and revealing a light green room with a queen sized bed smack in the middle. The windows are open and bright light streams in, catching particles of dust that float in the air.

"You and Mar will be sleeping here," he explains. "I hope that's alright?"

"Of course," I say. "It's great!"

James grins. "Good." His mother walks by the room, a cup of tea in her hand, and his face goes pale. I take a step forward, afraid he's going to faint, but he steadies himself on the edge of the wardrobe.

"My father," he mouths as I give him a questioning look.

"I thought you said he was better," I whispered.

"Yes, better than he was when he was cursed," he affirms. "He was only released from St. Mungo's two days ago, and we even had to fight for that. I don't think he can walk yet."

I put a hand to my mouth. "Then why are we here? I feel like such an intruder now, if he's still sick!"

James shakes his head. "No, you're not, don't worry. Mum insisted that you all come."

"Look, Lily, just don't bring this up around her," he pleads. "She wants things to return to normal _so badly_, and if you mention my father's health, she'll probably start crying. She doesn't like to admit how much it scares her, so she pretends there's no problem in the first place. I know it's not good for her, but…"

I tiptoe over and put my arms around him. He smiles gratefully, resting his cheek on the top of my head. We stand like that for a little while, just breathing, until Dorea passes by again.

"Lily, dear, do you want some tea?" She peeks around the corner, and we jump apart, red faced. "Oh, don't let me interrupt."

"You weren't interrupting anything," I say hastily, walking out the door and shooting a guilty look at James. He smiles sheepishly, shrugging, his eyes following me as I leave.

"So, Lily," Dorea idly makes conversation as she busies herself in the kitchen. "How's your seventh year going?"

"It's great, thanks," I reply.

"I remember my seventh year," she says wistfully. "It was one of the best years of my life. I met Charlus, of course, but all that testing was horrendous. I trust your NEWTs are coming along?"

"Yeah, as soon as the holiday break is over we'll all be studying nonstop," I say as she hands me a steaming cup of earl grey tea and sits across the table from me.

"Do you know where Marlene is?" I ask Dorea, as the thought strikes my mind. She frowns and shakes her head.

"The last time I saw her, she was in the living room with Sirius, but he went up to find James." I jump up, apologetic, and dash into the den. She's lying on the couch, fast asleep, a knit blanket over her legs. I laugh, relieved.

"Sorry, I was just…"

Dorea nods, understanding. "Panicking?"

"It's the war, I guess." She pats my arm sympathetically.

"I'd better start making supper, would you mind helping?"

"Oh." I blush. "I can't cook."

She laughs. "You don't need to cook if you don't want to, love, but would you mind setting the table?"

"Of course," I agree. She hands me several glasses and I set them on the Potter's large, oaken table, made to accommodate guests. Wafts of wonderful-smelling steam rise into the air as Dorea mixes herbs into a large pot.

Half an hour later, she asks me to call Marlene, Sirius, and James down for dinner. Sirius puts the hood of my sweater over my eyes, and I laugh, swiping it off and taking a seat at the table. Charlus, James's father, is noticeably gone, but no one chooses to comment on this fact.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" James asks his mum, shoveling a bite of the fish she'd made into his mouth.

"James!" She scolds. "Don't chew with your mouth open. And you and Sirius will be cleaning the house. Lily and Marlene can do whatever they feel like doing; there's a nice farmer's market that's open a few blocks down from here that you two would like."

Sirius looks up. "Why do I have to help?" He complains. Marlene leans over to me, smiling wickedly.

"It's funny because the Potters treat Sirius as a son," she says, "so they don't let him get away without helping them around the house or doing the dishes or anything."

Sirius is pouting right now, but everyone can tell that he doesn't mind cleaning the house. After supper, Dorea serves us all a batch of brownies that she baked earlier that afternoon. If I'm being honest, the food that she makes is better than what they serve at Hogwarts, which is saying a lot. James scoops the plate of brownies into his arms, ushering us upstairs.

"What are we doing?" I ask as he unlatches the window in the guest room and Sirius grabs two brooms from their room. He hands one to me and another to Marlene, who beams.

"There's a meteor shower tonight." James's eyes flash with excitement.

"And we have to sneak out the window?"

"It's not sneaking out!" He protests.

"Prongs, mate, it really is," Sirius replies, backing me up.

James sets down the plate, sticking his head outside and inspecting the sky. "Well, it's good fun. Come on, it's dark already."

Marlene pushes him away and clambers outside, getting on the broom and flying into the night. She whoops with excitement.

"Lily, let's go!" she insists.

"I can't fly," I say flatly.

James's eyes go wide. "Shit, Lil, I forgot."

"Don't worry, I'll just climb out the window and onto the roof," I reply sarcastically.

"You will do no such thing." Sirius steps forward, grabs my hand, and swiftly gets onto his broom. He pulls me behind him, and together we join Marly in the sky.

"Stealing my boyfriend, I see?" she teases me.

"I dunno, it depends on how many of his brownies he gives me," I cackle.

"None. Lily Evans, if you take any of my food, you'll wish you'd never been born."

"Woah there tiger," I laugh. "I'll leave that to James, then."

James is casually flying behind us, and we all notice that half of the brownies are missing from the plate.

"James Potter, you are baking us more tomorrow," I scold.

"Consider it done," he says as he bites into yet another. Sirius is about to knock him over when the first shooting star whizzes over our heads. He lands on the roof, dumping me off his broom, but I don't mind, as I am staring in awe at what is happening above us. Marlene and James arrive next to us, and James sits next to me, looking up at the sky. Star upon star shoots through the night, igniting the darkness with streaks of light and warmth. It goes on for ages, I don't know how long, but when the last star finally streaks through the sky, I find my head on his shoulder and his fingers in my hair.


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay; next chapter! Also, don't forget to favorite and review, as it only takes a second! Alrighty then, enjoy!**

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><p>The day of the party, everyone is running around in a frantic attempt to ensure that all of the food is prepared, the house is clean, all the drinks are ordered, and everyone has their respectable clothes; the list goes on and on. Dorea seems especially aggravated, as James's dad, Charlus, has made himself scarce the entire time we're here, but must be presentable for the party. Marlene and I are busy tidying up the kitchen, and I cast a simple cleaning charm on the counter as she puts all the dishes away.<p>

As we are working, James comes bustling in. "Lily!" he announces. "I need you to do something for me for a sec."

Marlene snorts. "He wants you to do him," she whispers in my ear.

"Shut up!" I hit her arm, and look up at him.

"What?"

"You're good at potions, and we need you to brew one so people don't go home drunk, if that's all right with you."

"Of course," I reply. "Do you have the ingredients and everything?"

"Yeah, just follow me," he says.

While he's talking, Marlene makes another snide comment. "He's definitely top," she whispers.

"Screw you," I call as James escorts me away from the kitchen and into the dining room. But then I am not walking anymore. A patch of mistletoe grows from the ceiling; left over from the Christmas cheer.

"Shit!" I say, pointing at the plant. James snorts.

"Oh, yeah, Mum's always had a bit of a love for mistletoe," he says, giving me a small kiss on my cheek. My face flames, but James acts as if it's never happened, continuing through the room.

We head through a doorway I hadn't noticed, and suddenly we are in a well-lit little office, decorated with bright Quidditch posters that adorn the walls.

"Is this yours?" I ask, amused. He blushes.

"Well, yeah," James tells me. "I use it occasionally during the summer, or whatever."

"I'm surprised it's not more of a mess," I joke, looking up at him. James shrugs, grinning.

"Well, what can I say?" He leans down to clear a few papers that are scattered around the floor, and I kneel, helping him.

"Lily…" he trails off. I tilt my head ever so slightly, a questioning look in my eyes. His gaze softens, drops, and he shakes his head.

"Never mind. The cauldron is in the corner over there, along with the ingredients. I'll leave you to it."

I stare at him as he leaves, my mouth hanging open.

"Lily Evans, you have things to do," I remind myself, tearing my mind from James and standing up to grab the cauldron. It's silver, and insanely heavy, and it takes all my effort to drag it to the center of the room. I glance at the recipe for the potion. It doesn't seem too complicated, thankfully; I'll have it done in a few hours.

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><p>Just as I finish brewing the potion, Sirius pokes his head around the corner of the doorway.<p>

"Lily, the party starts in an hour," he says. "You better get ready."

"Fuck!" I curse, wiping my hands and dusting myself off. "It's just cooling right now, hold on. I need to put it into vials and then I'll be done."

Sirius rolls his eyes and walks inside.

"Here, let me do that. You go get ready. I know Mar is dying for you to do her hair." He takes the flasks out of my hands and sets them on James's desk.

"Thank you _so_ much!" I shoot him a grateful look as I rush out of the room. James is hurrying the other way, holding several wine glasses in his hands.

"Done?" He asks, pausing on the way.

"Sirius is just packaging it up right now," I explain, and then realize we are stuck under the mistletoe again.

"You need to ask your mum to get rid of this," I groan. James winks at me.

"I don't know, Evans, I kind of enjoy it."

I elbow him in the ribs, but not before he leans down and swiftly kisses me on the nose.

"See you later," he calls over his shoulder. I don't tell him that 'later' isn't soon enough.

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><p>"Lil," Marlene whines, "are you done using the shower?" I wrap my hair in a towel and head out of the bathroom.<p>

"Clearly," I say wryly.

"Good. You're even worse than Alice, and _her_ showers are decades long."

I wiggle my eyebrows at her, before taking my outfit off the hanger and pulling it on. Several minutes later, Marlene rejoins me.

"Oh, your outfit is _gorgeous_," she tells me, blow drying her long blonde hair.

"Thanks, Mar!" I kiss her cheek. "It's almost time to go, so I'm going to head downstairs."

"Not with hair like that, you're not." She pulls me away from the door and begins braiding it into one long plait that falls down the middle of my back. Marlene turns me around, shakes her head, and pulls the braid over my shoulder.

"Okay. Better." I hug her before skipping out the door and down the stairs. Charlus and Dorea are talking quietly in the kitchen, and James and Sirius are already in the dining room, holding delicate flutes of sparkling apple cider.

I amble up to them, fingering my braid nervously.

"Ah, Lily, you look lovely," James states.

"You don't look too bad yourself," I reply. He's wearing a pressed blue dress shirt and black slacks, but it's a rare occasion that I see James wearing clothes that are not a hoodie and jeans.

Sirius coughs in the back. "You look absolutely stunning," I tell him as well.

"Thank you." He bows. "It took all of five minutes to get this wonderful outfit together."

"No kidding!" I take James's cider from his grasp and take a sip. "Ooh, this is delicious!"

"My mum got it from the Leaky Cauldron. Special order. Who knew they could make apple cider?" He says, taking it back. "Get your own."

As I am about to go into the kitchen, the doorbell rings, announcing that the first guest has arrived. I dearly hope it's Alice. James sprints to the door, opening it wide and allowing all the cold to escape inside. Peter walks inside, smiling a bit shyly.

"Hey, Prongs," he greets us. "And Padfoot and Lily!"

"Wormy!" Sirius slaps him on the back. "Great to see you, mate."

Peter steps inside the house, handing his coat to James, who hangs it up in the hallway closet.

He comes with us into the dining room, picking up a glass of cider on the way. I do so as well, taking a small sip. Peter laughs at something James has said, and Charlus and Dorea join us, saying hello to Peter. The doorbell rings again, and Remus walks through, followed by Dorcas and a few people I don't recognize.

Dorcas kisses me on the cheek before hanging up her cloak.

"Hey, Lily! Fancy seeing you here!"

I smile. "Dorcas! How's your holiday been?"

"Absolutely wonderful," she replies. "Where's Mar?"

"Coming," I shrug. "Just getting changed."

Alice steps through the door as well, preceded by her parents and the Longbottoms. Dorea welcomes them all warmly, inviting them inside.

"Alice!" I squeal, hugging her. "It's been too long!"

She giggles. "Barely two weeks, Lil."

"Too long!" I repeat. Marlene has finally joined us, and hugs Alice and Dorcas, and I must say, she looks _stunning_. Everyone does, really. We meander into the living room, and James waves his wand, turning up the music, and finally, the party really begins.

After much socializing and catching up with our friends, I catch James's eye. He gestures to his glass, now empty, and jerks his head toward the kitchen. I nod, smiling, and follow him to refill our cups, with a spot of champagne this time.

Leaning against the counter, James holds up his glass.

"To 1977," he says.

"1977," I echo, clinking mine against his and taking a sip. His hair falls in front of his eyes, and I reach up to tuck it behind his ear,].

"What time is it?" I question. He grins, flicking my braid, and the clock begins to chime.

It is midnight. We are one year older, one year wiser, and one year closer to reaching our goals. Marlene is passionately kissing Sirius next to us, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

I make a face. "They shouldn't do that."

"They've been doing that for years, Lils, I would have thought you'd be used to it by now," he comments.

I raise my eyebrows. "Don't tell me you don't mind it."

"Nah, not really," he smirks.

"Oh, really?"

"You know, it's customary to kiss someone at the New Year in the muggle world." James winks. He is standing close to me, way too close, and I can feel his soft breath on my cheek. It is tinged with the faintest bit of champagne and mint from the cake we had earlier, and my eyelids flutter, my heart pounding.

"And when did you become so learned about the muggle world?" I tease him.

"Last year," he grins.

"Well, it's a good thing we're in the wizarding world right now."

James shrugs and points above our heads. A bit of mistletoe blooms from the ceiling. I curse myself for not remembering to avoid it, and look up at him, trying to decide whether his expression looks eager or resigned. And then, of course, I remember that he's been in love with me since the first year.

James runs a hand through his hair, leaning down to kiss me gently on the lips. Our noses bump and I have to stretch onto my tiptoes to reach his mouth. Awkwardly, we pull away, giggling.

"Let's do that again," James whispers, kissing me once more. His lips are soft and he tastes like everything I've ever imagined, and this time, I don't want to part. I never want to leave his side again. I finally, finally slide my hands through his black hair. It is softer than I would have imagined, and James smiles against my mouth as I wrap my fingers in it.

"I got the feeling you've been wanting to do that," he murmurs.

"How could you tell?" I ask.

"I know you," breathes James, his voice a feather of a whisper.

I laugh, breathless. "Your parents certainly know how to throw a good party," I say. He nods, surveying the room.

"Indeed they do." Suddenly we are interrupted as Sirius walks over, throwing his arms around both of us.

"I'm so proud of you, Prongsie! If I'm being honest here, I was getting a bit sick of your sexual tension."

"Yeah, well, I'm getting a bit sick of your sex," I snort. He pulls Marlene over to his side, kissing her deeply.

"Get used to it, Evans."

James slides a hand around my waist, giving me a peck on my cheek. "You know, Padfoot, it's time you had a taste of your own medicine."

"No thank you!" I push his arm away.

"Just kidding, Evans. Happy New Year."

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><p><strong>Just a note: this is NOT the last chapter, so don't you fret!<strong>

**xx Ash**


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